Current News

by Rob Roper The Executive Director of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association testified before the House Energy & Technology Committee that if the “Clean Heat Standard” currently being contemplated becomes law, he expects it to drive ten to fifty Vermont home heating fuel dealers (oil, propane, natural gas, and kerosene) out of business. This would cost multiple hundreds of people their jobs and leave tens if not hundreds of thousands of Vermonters scrambling to find new heating fuel suppliers.

Vermont Business Magazine The Arlington Common, a hub for community, wellness and creativity, is opening ‘Co-working at the Watkins House’, a flexible workspace membership open to all community members at the Watkins House. The space features a variety of workspaces, kitchen facilities and conference spaces. The co-working space is open from 8am-10pm Monday through Friday, 9am-10pm on Saturdays, and 9am-5pm on Sundays.

Vermont Business Magazine Jobseekers have no shortage of opportunities in today’s job market, with employers hiring across all industries. With the spring season right around the corner, one of the industries in the highest demand for workers is construction. To help connect jobseekers with opportunities in the construction industry, the Vermont Department of Labor will host a #Hiring2DayVT Virtual Job Fair for Construction Jobs in Vermont on Thursday March 3 and March 17 at 11 am. The virtual events will include construction employers from across the state, hiring for all skill levels and abilities. More than 15 employers are expected to take part in the March 3 event, with additional employers to present on March 17.

​Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) announced today that USDA will be allotting $80 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to support innovation in the dairy industry. Each of the four Dairy Business Innovation Centers, including the Northeast Center, located at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Farms and Markets, will be able to draw on the newly available $80 million to access up to $20 million. This funding is in addition to $18.4 million announced last fall which provided each of the three original centers, in Vermont, Tennessee and Wisconsin, with annual budgets of $6 million.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today announced he is co-leading a bipartisan, nationwide investigation into TikTok for providing and promoting its social media platform to children and young adults while use is associated with physical and mental health harms. Attorneys general across the country are examining whether the company violated state consumer protection laws that put the public at risk.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 262 cases of COVID-19 for Tuesday and 101 for Monday. Cases had been running well below the 7-day average of 220 (the modeling will be updated Thursday). Hospitalizations and ICU stays have fallen dramatically the last few weeks. There were four additional COVID-related deaths since Monday, for 602 statewide.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging has launched its annual March for Meals initiative, a combination fundraising and awareness campaign aimed at generating support for its various nutrition services, namely the Meals on Wheels and community meal programs. Held in concert with the 50th Anniversary of Administration for Community Living’s Senior Nutrition Program, and National Nutrition Month, SVCOA’s March for Meals campaign seeks to inspire community donations in support of its nutrition services, recruit new volunteers for the Meals on Wheels program, and create broader public awareness of the range of nutrition supports offered to older Vermonters by SVCOA.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network announced today its intention to end operations at Burlington-based medical equipment supplier, Yankee Medical (Yankee), after the COVID-19 pandemic set back years of financial and operational progress toward sustainability. The supplier is set to close on June 2, 2022. Yankee offers medical products including wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, walkers and orthotics, otherwise known as durable medical equipment (DME), for sale and for rent to regional health care providers, and to patients for at-home use. UVMHN acquired the business in 2017 in an attempt to preserve its role as a medical supplier to the region.

Vermont State Police Police have located the vehicle being sought as part of the investigation into Tuesday’s fatal shooting incident in St Johnsbury. Members of law enforcement are speaking with the vehicle’s occupants. No further details are available at this time. The Vermont State Police will continue to share updated information with the community as soon as possible throughout the ongoing investigation.

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly 400 Vermont Army National Guard Soldiers will return home from deployed locations over the course of several weeks, beginning March 4. Their return will conclude the largest Vermont Army National Guard deployment since 2010. Soldiers from six units are scheduled to return by early April from deployments in Kosovo, as well as in support of US Central Command.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CWST announced Tuesday that it has acquired the assets of Northstar Pulp & Paper Co, Inc, Northstar Disposal Corp, and certain real estate holdings on March 1, 2022. Casella is a regional vertically integrated solid waste, recycling and resource management services company based in Rutland. Northstar is a leading resource management company located in Springfield, Massachusetts, focused on recycling processing, brokerage services, and collection across the Northeast for industrial, institutional, and commercial customers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

VermontBiz In an age of rapid organizational transformation, how can executives create a thriving workplace? Learn from the CEO who is a regular on Glassdoor’s Top 100 CEOs list and who has guided his company to be one of Fortune’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in the World.

Paylocity CEO Steve Beauchamp will share his insights in the March episode of 21st Century Business Forum.